


Emotions for Beginners

by Daegaer



Series: Pretend to be Human [25]
Category: Saiyuki (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Androids, Comfort, Friendship, M/M, Partial Mind Control, Science Fiction, Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:00:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28452024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daegaer/pseuds/Daegaer
Summary: Gojyo and Hakkai share a moment, to the others' astonishment.
Relationships: Cho Hakkai/Sha Gojyo
Series: Pretend to be Human [25]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1152416
Kudos: 11





	Emotions for Beginners

" _We. Were. Supposed. To. Talk._ "

Hakkai gave him his sunniest smile, and gently pulled Gojyo to the side of the inn's garden. Sanzo was sprawled on one of the benches, soaking up the afternoon sun with Goku at his feet. They both had their eyes closed. From Gojyo's experience, neither was meditating, although it was possible that Goku was reaching enlightenment with the sweets he was stuffing into himself.

" _I'd be delighted to chat_."

Gojyo looked around. There was no one else there, human or android. Sanzo wouldn't hear them if they kept their voices down. Hakkai looked co-operative. He felt like he was on a thin piece of wood over a yawning pit, and had only just remembered how much he weighed.

" _O.K. First. Off. Did. I. Really. Try. To. Reset. Myself. To. Factory. Standards?_ " It was mortifying, but he had to know. Even the less than advanced systems in the inn were laughing at him. The security system had insistently beeped as he walked past until he peered at it to see it suddenly display the code _3104558_. The fucking cheek of some jumped-up battery operated calculators.

" _What? No! No, Gojyo, it was just a momentary glitch. We all have those._ "

He bet Hakkai didn't. Gojyo tried for a sunny smile himself, although his facial servos weren't really up to it.

" _Hakkai,_ " he said, pulling him further from Sanzo and Goku. " _You. Drugged. Sanzo. All. That. Time. Don't. Tell. Me. It. Was. For. His. Own. Good._ How. _Did. You. Do. It?_ " He dropped his voice. " _Are. Your. Security. Subroutines. Operational?_ "

Hakkai tittered. " _Oh, I'm sure they are. I should check, one of these days. No harm came to him, did it? And we had a lovely peaceful drive – why even Goku was happy. Sanzo does so hate admitting he likes the boy when he's in his right mind. I think he's afraid to love other beings. When you think about it, I did them both a kindness._ "

Gojyo made a rude noise with some of his gears. Sanzo didn't love Goku. He barely tolerated him. He paused, thinking of a time that the kid had fallen ill in the monastery and how Sanzo hadn't moved from his bedside for days, not even when the monks begged him to attend to vital issues. He'd claimed it was quieter there than being chased by a flock of clamouring old chickens, but he had never taken his eyes off Goku's face. Or the time Goku successfully evaded Gojyo's watchful eye and took himself off, declaring his intention to run away. He hadn't been found until the middle of the night, curled in a ball at the back of a disused store room. Gojyo had felt his systems fall from high alert so abruptly that he wondered if that was happened to humans when they fainted. He thought of Sanzo with Goku in his arms, his fingers tight in Goku's clothes, his face buried in Goku's hair. The asshole had got himself together soon enough to yell at the kid and to threaten to melt Gojyo down. Some love. It seemed to Gojyo that there shouldn't have been any yelling except at him. He'd been at fault, sure. The kid was just a kid.

" _Don't. You. 'Kindness.' Me. You. Just. Wanted. Sanzo. Quiet. What. If. Goku. Had. Been Rude. To. Me. Again? Would. You. Have. Hurt. Him? Tried. To. Break. His. Neck. Again?_ "

Hakkai rolled his eyes, like he was talking to a damned _human_ and wanted to get his irritation across.

" _You're. So. Dramatic. Today_ ," he said in a cruel imitation of Gojyo's voice. Almost at once his demeanour changed, as if he knew that stuck-up high-end androids were about the one thing Gojyo _really_ couldn't stand. " _Gojyo, I'm so sorry, that was completely uncalled for. I apologise without reservation. I would_ never _hurt Master Goku. Truly. Just ask yourself – am I or am I not much stronger than a human?_ "

Gojyo nodded suspiciously, still smarting from the sheer meanness of the impersonation.

" _Then think – if I ever had wanted to hurt him, he would have been_ hurt _. I can control myself._ "

Gojyo turned away, just so he didn't have to see Hakkai standing there, looking like he'd said something reasonable. If Sanzo ever reviewed either of their internal recordings they were both for the slag heap. Maybe not Hakkai; he was too well-made, too expensive, and it had got him off once before. Gojyo, though. He was just an assembly-line standard issue security android. Easily replaced.

" _You. Can. Hurt. Humans_ ," he said dully.

" _I would never hurt Goku._ "

" _Sanzo?_ "

Hakkai tapped his fingers on his chin, looking thoughtful. He smiled, reaching out to take Gojyo's hand. " _I'm teasing you. Of course I could never hurt our dear master. Or any human; you know that's impossible, Gojyo. Don't look so glum, everything's all right. No, no, what's wrong – Gojyo, you look so sad -_ "

" _I. Always. Liked. You,_ " Gojyo said. " _You. Didn't. Look. Down. On. Me. And. Then. You. Just. Get. Weirder. And. Weirder. And -_ "

" _Charming._ "

" _\- I. Never. Stopped. You. I. thought. It. Was. Because. You. Were. The. Clever. One. And. You. Had. A. Good. Reason. But. Really. It's. Because. There's. Something. Wrong. With. My. Programming. I. Failed. My. Humans. I. Was. Real. Glad. When. You'd. Cheek. Them. Or. Be. Funny. About. Them. Because. I. Have. Something. Wrong. With. My. Programming. And. I. Never. Told. Sanzo. Nothing._ So _. Many. Times. And. In. The. End. I. Guess. I'm. The. Sort. Of. Android. That. Hurts. Humans. Too. I. Let. You. Do. It. There's. Something. Really. Wrong. With. Us. Hakkai. We. Need. Help._ "

There. It was out. After all this time a dumbass android in a garden up in the mountains could finally wise up enough to know he was glitching in the worst ways. If Hakkai could maybe see sense, they could find a way to get themselves fixed up.

Hakkai looked at him in utter distress. If he'd been breathing, Gojyo was fairly sure he would have gasped.

" _Gojyo, there is_ nothing _wrong with you! Nothing. Oh, Gojyo. You poor thing. No. There's nothing wrong with either of us. I don't hurt people and neither do you. Come here._ "

It was bizarre to be embraced and have his hair stroked. Hakkai's programming really was too naturalistic at times. On the other hand it wasn't unpleasant, and there didn't seem to be any harm in resting his head on Hakkai's shoulder, as he was being guided to do. He put his arms around Hakkai, which seemed to be the right thing, from the pleased noise he got.

" _It's all right,_ " Hakkai murmured, sounding sad and worried. " _It really is. We're all right. We don't hurt humans. Decent androids don't do that. You're so good, Gojyo, I always liked that about you. I try to be good, like you. Don't worry any more, all right? We have to keep our masters and each other safe. We can help each other do that. We can help each other. I need to tell -_ "

"What the _fuck_ are you two doing?" Sanzo's voice said, from far too close.

Hakkai went absolutely rigid in Gojyo's arms. He patted Gojyo's shoulder once, and gently disengaged, turning with his normal calm grace. A pleasant, polite smile was on his face. He bowed, as Gojyo noted with horror that Sanzo and Goku had crossed half the garden and were staring at them as if they had never seen either of them before.

" _Supporting each other, Master Sanzo_ ," Hakkai said, without a trace of honest emotion in his voice.

Sanzo gestured at them with his fan. If he'd been closer they would have both been getting slapped in the face with it, that was clear.

"What was _that?_ Goku! Did you upload some sort of porno module into these jokers or something?"

Goku yelped and looked guilty, which didn't help in the slightest. "No! No way, Sanzo!"

Hakkai straightened from his bow. The colour seemed to have drained from his face, leaving it clearly porcelain under the synthskin. His expression was as blank as some housemaid fresh out of the box.

" _I am not,_ " he said. " _A sexbot. Sir._ "

Gojyo actually blinked in surprise. Androids didn't say words like _bot_ to each other. Not without wanting to be offensive. He supposed that Sanzo didn't know that, although the _way_ Hakkai said it -

"Don't you use that tone with me."

Hakkai froze, then bowed again. " _I seek your guidance to keep me from error, sir._ "

Sanzo looked between him and Gojyo. "Whatever. Stop fondling each other in public. It's –" He waved his fan again. " – Just don't do it." He stalked off towards the inn.

Goku continued staring at them, like they were exotic creatures from one of his dramas.

"Guys?" he said. "Do androids, um –"

Hakkai folded his arms and looked down his nose. " _Exactly_ how _is that sentence going to end, Goku?_ "

Goku went a remarkable colour and he laughed weakly. "Oh, eh, I should probably get going after Sanzo." He positively shot away.

" _Goku._ "

The kid turned, still puce. Gojyo smiled at him. " _If. You. Wanna. Know. About. Feelings. Then. I. Always. Loved. You._ "

Goku ran back and hugged him, like he had when he was a little kid, and then shot off again, the heat signature of his embarrassment still perfectly detectable. When Gojyo turned back to Hakkai he had tidied his hair and seemed untouchably cheerful.

" _Humans_ ," he laughed. " _Such odd ideas! Poor Sanzo, dear me, his face!_ "

" _You. Were. About. To. Tell. Me. Something?_ "

" _Oh, another time, I think,_ " Hakkai said carelessly. " _Let's go in and keep them under control, shall we?_ " He briefly put an arm around Gojyo' shoulders and squeezed. " _Don't worry; we're the only ones here, so it's not in public, is it?_ "

Keeping to the letter of instructions, all androids did that. It was petty and silly and normal. Gojyo felt himself cheer up.

Hakkai wanted to be normal and good. That was what he had to remember.

**Author's Note:**

> For those who don't remember the joys of writing upside-down words with calculators, the security system has sneered "Asshole" at Gojyo ;-)  
> 


End file.
